Knitted lace fabric



March 22, 1966 J. WINTER 3,241,341

KNITTED LACE FABRIC Filed April 7, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR J WL D t e r ATTOR NEYS March 22, 1966 J. WINTER 3,241,341

KNITTED LACE FABRIC Filed April 7, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i m w &

FIG. 3

INVENTOR m tar ATTOR NEYS March 22, 1966 J. WINTER 3,241,341

KNITTED LACE FABRIC Filed April 7, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I523. 43 Um.

FIG. 5

INVENTOR J lA L'n C a r' ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,241,341 KNITTED LACE FABRIC Johann Winter, Paramus, N.J., assignor to Norwood Knitting Mills, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 358,014 1 Claim. (Cl. 66193) This invention relates to lace making and refers more particularly to a novel method of producing a hexagonal open mesh lace simulating that of the so-called Leavers type.

It has been long known in prior art to produce hexagonal, open mesh type lace on a Leavers lace machine. This lace is produced on the Leavers machine by a twisting of the threads. The Raschel lace machine which is also well known in the prior art, employs latch needles and was used in prior art solely to produce a hexagonal net lace by knitting the thread. Heretofore it was considered impossible to produce on the Raschel machine, an open mesh type lace which is similar to that produced on the Leavers lace machine. Thus lace makers who wished to make laces by twisting as well as by knitting were obliged to employ two types of large, complicated and highly expensive machines.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to eliminate these prior art drawbacks and to provide a method for producing a hexagonal open mesh type lace on a Raschel lace making machine.

Another object is to provide a hexagonal open mesh type lace which is produced by knitting on a Raschel lace making machine and which in appearance generally simulates that of the lace produced on a Leavers lace machine by twisting.

Still another object is to provide a method for increasing the variety of lace types and patterns which may be produced on a Raschel lace making machine.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following specification.

In achieving the objectives of the present invention it was found advantageous to provide a hexagonal open mesh type lace by knitting with latch needles, only the thread carried by the frontmost guide bar on a Raschel lace machine. This knitting is affected by the manner in which the guide bar is longitudinally displaced according to a predetermined pattern set in the links on the link drum controlling the guide bar movement. Second and third guide bars located behind the frontmost guide bar carry threads which are not stitched into the mesh but rather are merely layed across the stitches made from the thread on the frontmost guide bar. The manner of laying these second and third threads is controlled by the longitudinal displacements given the guide bars carrying these threads, the displacements being carried out only when the guide bars are located on the rear sides of the latch needles and according to a predetermined pattern.

The inventive concept will appear more clearly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a chain diagram of the stitch utilized 3,241,341 Patented Mar. 22, 1966 for producing the hexagonal open mesh type lace of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic front elevational view of a portion of a Raschel lace machine used for producing the lace of the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic top plan view of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a schematic end elevational view of the construction shown in FIGURE 3 as generally viewed along line IVIV in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a loop diagram of the fabric.

Throughout the specification like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts.

Referring to FIGURES 2 to 4 of the drawings, the portion 10 of the Raschel lace machine illustrated therein includes a needle bed 11 which as a rule is one hundred inches in width and carries eighteen hundred latch needles 12, the latch needles being actuated by a suitable mechanism (not shown). Located above the needle bed 11 are a number of guide bars 13, 14 and 15 (FIG. 3) which are, according to predetermined pattern, reciprocated along their longitudinal axes by means of associated push rods 13, 14' and 15', the push rods having followers 16 which are in engagement with chain links or cams 13", 14 and 15" respectively, carried on a rotating link drum 17. Each of the guide bars 13, 14 and 15 has a zero longitudinal positioning relative to the needle bed 11, as shown in FIGURE 2. But if they are displaced longitudinally from that position to the left relatively to the needle bed (looking in the direction of FIG. 3), the return springs 13 connected to the various push rods tend to return the guide bars to the'zero position, the return springs 18 being connected with a fixed frame member 19 of the machine.

During operation of the Raschel lace machine, the guide bars 13, 14 and 15 are also oscillated transversely of their longitudinal axis or in the direction of the arrow AA', FIGURE 3. The guide bars 13, 14 and 15 carry respectively threads 13 14 and 15 and guide them from the spools 20 down toward the needle bed 11 (FIGURE 4). As seen in FIGURE 4, the rear of the latch needles in the machine faces the front of the machine, while the front or latch side of the needles faces the rear of the machine.

The foregoing construction of a Raschel lace machine and its operation are well known in the art and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

Referring in detail to FIGURE 1 which is the chain diagram of the stitch used for producing the open mesh lace of the present invention and to FIGURE 5 which is a corresponding loop diagram, each of the needles 12 in needle bed 11 has an associated thread 13a carried by guide bar 13 which is stitched by the needles during operation of the Raschel machine. On the other hand, guide bars 14 and 15 carry only one thread 14a and 15a respectively, for each six threads fed by guide bar 13 to the needles. The threads 14a and 15a are not stitched during operation, rather they are merely layed into the stitching chain of the thread 13a. Since the stitch pattern illustrated repeats itself every twelve needles in the needle bed, only twelve needles and the threads 13a stitched thereby are represented in the chain diagram.

The stitch which produces the open mesh lace of the present invention is achieved by longitudinally displacing the guide bars 13, 14 and 15 according to the following table:

Table Guide Bar 13 Guide Bar 14 Guide Bar 15 (Links 13") (Links 14') (Links 15') In the above table, each pair of numerals represents the link size associated with each successive complete stitch movement of the needles 11.

As seen in the chain diagram of FIGURE 1 and the loop diagram of FIGURE 5 the pattern not only repeats itself for each twelve needles in the needle bed (horizontal boxes) but it also repeats itself for each twelve stitches made by the needles with thread 13a (vertical boxes). The link sizes of links 13", 14", 15 (FIG. 3) represent double the number of needles that the links will displace the guide bars longitudinally along their own axes during each stitching operation.

In each pair of numerals of the above table, the first number indicates the position of the respective guide bars relative to their zero positions when they are on the front side of the lace machine (rear side of needles). The second number indicates the guide bar positions at the rear side of the machine (front or latch side of the needles). This is because the numerals represent the link dimensions, the links in turn effecting longitudal movements of the guide bars.

Relating the table to the chain diagram of FIGURE 1, it is seen that at the start of the pattern, guide bar 13 is displaced one needle up (to the left) from its zero position when the guide bar is on the front side of the machine (numeral 2 of the first pair of numerals). When the guide bar 13 now oscillates towards the rear of the machine (front or latch side of the needles), it will move back one needle (to the right), this movement is represented by the second numeral which is the zero of the pair of numerals in the first left-hand box of the table. In thus moving, the guide bar feeds the thread 13a to the needles 11 so that open stitches 21 are knitted (FIG. 1). Simultaneous with the foregoing, guide bar 14 which is in a zero longitudinal position, will oscillate transversely of its axis but will not move longitudinally since its first pair of links 14" are both of zero size. Guide bar 15 is at this point displaced one needle up from its normal zero longitudinal position but, as it oscillates transversely of its axis, it will not move back longitudinally, since its first pair of links 15" are both of the same size.

While the needles 11 make the second row of stitches 22 in threads 13a (FIG. 1), the guide bar 13 will move out to the front side of the machine but will not be displaced longitudinally since its associated link 13" is a zero link (represented by the numeral zero which is the first number in the second pair of numbers in the table). However when the guide bar moves to the rear of the machine (front side of the needles), the associated link 13" will now move the guide bar 13 up one needle (to the left since the link is a number 2 link (second numeral of the second pair of numbers in the table) and thus the open stitch 22 is knitted. Before stitch 22 is completed though, guide bars 14 and 15 move out to the front of the machine (rear of needles) and move respectively, three needles up (to the left) laying threads 14a and 15a into the knitting. As seen in the table, the guide bars 14 and 15 are displaced longitudinally only when they are on the front side of the machine, i.e. behind the needles. Guide bar 14 moves in the last instance three needles up because its movement was effected by a transition from a zero size link pair to a number 6 link pair. Likewise guide bar 15 moves three needles up because its movement was by transition from a number 2 link pair to a number 8 link pair.

When the third stitch 23 is being made, guide bar 13 moves to the front side of the machine but is not displaced longitudinally since it goes from a number 2 link (first numeral, third pair of numbers of the table). However, when guide bar 13 now moves to the rear side of the machine it moves down one needle since it is controlled by a zero link (second numeral, third pair of numbers of the table) and knits the closed stitch 23. Once again before stitch 23 is completed, guide bars 14 and 15 move out to the front of the machine and move longitudinally down three needles (to the right) laying threads 14a and 15a into the knitting. In this last movement guide bar 14 moved three needles down through its transition from a pair of number 6 links to a pair of zero links. Similarly, guide bar 15 was controlled by transition from a pair of number 8 links to a number 2 link pair.

By following the remaining link pairs in the table it will be readily apparent how the guide bars 13, 14 and 15 are longitudinally displaced during each knitting movement of the needles until each of the twelve stitches are made before the pattern repeats itself. The lace pattern knitted according to the above guide bar movement simulates very closely, the open mesh lace produced on a Leavers lace machine by twisting the threads.

While there is above disclosed but one manner of producing the open mesh lace of the present invention it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the scope of the inventive concept herein disclosed.

What is claimed is:

A lace fabric comprising a plurality of adjoining sections, each of said sections having a row of open stitches, a second row of open stitches having transverse threads extending across some of the stitches of the second row, and a row of closed stitches having transverse threads extending across some of the closed stitches, said transverse threads being layed into the chains of the open and closed stitches.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,011,325 12/1961 Elsas et al. 66l92 X 3,084,529 4/1963 Scheibe 66-193 3,183,685 5/1965 Riehl 66-193 DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. RUSSELL C. MADER, P. C. FAW, Assistant Examiners. 

